My Father in April 1970 purchased his 280SL. Been in the family ever since. He drove it daily for a couple years, accumalting over 160,000 miles over its lifetime.
In 1980 there was an attempt on stealing the car, and because they couldn’t they put a knife to the seats and door panels. The interior was replaced with Connolly Leather throughout. To this day, the smell and feel is like new! Sometime in the late 90’s the car sat in a garage until most recently. Mom only drove it to the cemetery to visit Dad who passed in ‘96. I kept it up over the years, with a respray in 2002 to freshen it up.
Original drivetrain as a matter of fact, the only missing parts were the books (ugh) and the spare tire cover.
Two months back, my 97 year old Mother gifted me the car. So, for the first time it sits outside of Southern California, now in Idaho.
I will continue to pamper our 280SL, with the upside of driving in the most beautiful part of our country, the Northwest!
Thank you Dad for providing such lasting memories and enjoyment!